An animation professional known for her desire to give forward to pros and fans alike, Shannon has expanded her reach to writing prose, and showcasing those authors as well. Read interviews and guest posts from INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS, plus Shannon's own content.

The SHANNON MUIR’S INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS weekly column is a place at Shannon Muir’s author website open to interviews and guest posts from other authors. One thing Shannon firmly believes in for readers not only to learn about new books available, but about those who craft the tales behind them. As its name implies, SHANNON MUIR’S INFINITE HOUSE OF BOOKS weekly column features writers from all genres of fiction who want their potential audience to get to know them, and their works, better – and occasionally may offer features from Shannon herself that support readers to discover words.

As a special feature to complement the journal writing blog posts done as part of OWN YOUR OWN TALE, this week features an interview with someone who has created a journal for sale and what motivated her to do so.

Meet Alexsys Thompson, creator of THE TRYBAL GRATITUDE JOURNAL.

DISCLAIMER: While OWN YOUR OWN TALE strives to expose readers to different ideas and methods for writing journals and the use of journals, it does not specifically advocate any journal, method, or practice.

ABOUT

365 days in a year. 21 days to form a habit. 1 tool to make it all count.
Gratitude is free, unlimited, and always at your disposal.

What if building a gratitude practice was all you needed to unlock your best self? Your best life? What if you spent less time complaining and more time enjoying life? You have everything you need to manifest more of what makes your life wonderful. All you need is a little guidance! Your Trybal Gratitude Journal will be there for you, through thick and thin, to remind you to stay curious, be open, and give yourself grace.

Empower yourself to step into your flow and begin manifesting the life you are meant to live with the Trybal Gratitude Journal. All you need is 10 minutes a day and a pen or pencil to unlock all the treasures of the world inside you.

INTERVIEW

What inspired you to publish The Trybal Gratitude Journal? Was it a particular moment or had you wanted to share your experience with journaling for a while?

I’m often told things like, “You’re so lucky,” or “You’re so blessed.” Both of these are true, and I can attribute the quality of my life to two specific things: hard work and my gratitude practice. Though there is absolutely magic in my life, there is no sorcery in how I live my life. After a decade of trial, error, learning, and constantly returning to gratitude, I decided to design something anyone, anywhere can use to begin manifesting the life they are meant to live.

How did you decide on what aspects to include in the journal, such as the word of the day or magical moments? Were these things you found helpful in your own journaling?

These come from not only my own gratitude practice, but my experience as a professional trainer and Business Certified Coach (BCC). I’ve spent more than a decade working with people on setting the right intentions then aligning their behaviors behind those intentions to achieve the results they’re looking for. Inevitably, it always comes back to filters, or paradigms. How can you view this in a way that serves you? How can you align your behavior behind the best possible outcome in this situation? The word of the day is something I started early on in this journey; I used to put it on a piece of paper and carry it around with me through the day. At one point, I would put it in a shirt pocket and literally wear it on my heart. It was a constant reminder of what I truly wanted from the day, and to a much larger degree, for my life. It’s no shock to someone in my profession to witness how often people do things to the detriment of what they say they want. The magical moments have become so important to me, specifically because they remind me that no matter the state of the world, there is still wonder in it. There are still sparkles, glitters, and rainbows among the muck. We have to choose to see it, to highlight it, or it gets buried. It’s also an important connection point ot others, as most of our magical moments involve human interaction.

In this day and age, many people seem to use social media like Facebook and Twitter as their journal. What do you think is the importance of having a hard copy journal that you actually write in? How is that experience different for a person than sending out a tweet of their thoughts?

For one, it’s very easy to get distracted on an electronic device. When Facebook, Twitter, and all your Snapchat friends are a click away, it’s difficult to stay focused and be present. Besides that and my own experience, there is actually science behind it. A simple example is the encoding hypothesis, which posits “…that when a person is taking notes, “the processing that occurs” will improve “learning and retention.”[i]” There’s also the idea writing improves creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving.[ii] “New research by Pam Mueller and Daniel Oppenheimer demonstrates that students who write out their notes on paper actually learn more.”[iii] Tweeting out your thoughts is separate from self-reflection and shifting a paradigm. Your journal isn’t for the likes and shares of others; it’s designed for the exultation of you.

My latest project, the Trybal Gratitude Journal, is a culmination of a lifetime of practice, failure, and more practice. It feels great to be able to share some concepts and rituals I have developed to live my authentic life. Should you choose to take this journey of introspection through the window of a gratitude practice, you, too, will inevitably unveil your authentic self.

My wish for you is to experience the multifaceted magic of gratitude.

Which is exactly why I created the Trybal Gratitude Journal, and why I speak about Gratitude at a variety of events. It was, and continues to be a game changer in my life. If you so choose, it can be in yours, too.

I also founded a company called Trybal Performance. At Trybal, we help you unleash the vibe of your Tryb! We even offer downloadable gratitude coupons you can use to spread the gratitude. To learn more, please visit us at www.trybalperformance.com.

SHANNON MUIR began working in animation on shows like EXTREME GHOSTBUSTERS and INVADER ZIM, worked on the virtual world NEOPETS/PETPET PARK, and now has credits writing for animation and short stories.

VISIT SHANNON MUIR’S AUTHOR SITE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT HER MYSTERY AND CRIME WRITING!